Di Daughter's Strategy - Chapter 18

Chapter 18

Luo Fu was a bit surprised and didn’t have time to think about why someone from Yunxia Courtyard had come. She quickly said, “Please invite her in.”

When Linglong came in carrying a tray, she saw the second young lady wearing a hibiscus-yellow long dress, smiling as brightly as the sun outside. Linglong smiled politely and bowed slightly. “Second young lady, greetings.”

Luo Fu was originally puzzled about why the third young lady had sent someone, but when she saw the tray in Linglong’s hands, her eyes lit up instantly. The third young lady always liked to give her sisters gifts, and no matter what they were, they were always precious and exquisite.

Luo Fu had been raised by Concubine Qiu since she was young and had picked up some of Concubine Qiu’s habits, such as being fond of getting small advantages. At this moment, she couldn’t help but glance at the tray and smiled warmly. “Linglong, why so many gifts? Please, sit down.” She called out to Baizhi beside her, “Hey, what’s wrong with you? Go and serve tea.”

Linglong quickly stopped her. “Second young lady, you’re being too polite. I have to finish my task and hurry back to Yunxia Courtyard.”

Luo Fu was just being polite, and since Linglong said so, she asked, “Did the third young lady ask you to come for something?”

She straightened her sleeves and sat properly in the chair.

“The miss got some small toys and asked me to bring some for the second young lady to see. If you like them, feel free to keep them.” Linglong smiled brightly, looking very sincere.Saying this, she handed the tray to Baizhi beside her. Baizhi held it over to show Luo Fu.

Luo Fu didn’t stand on ceremony, as she was used to Luo Yi’er occasionally sending gifts to her sisters.

Seeing the tray was filled with accessories and jewelry she liked, her eyes sparkled with delight, and her smile deepened. “You came all the way here, Third Sister is too polite. She could have just sent a message, and I would have gone to see her. It’s been a while since we last met.”

Linglong chuckled but didn’t respond to that. Instead, she said, “I’ve finished the task the miss assigned me. I should get back now.”

“Third Sister must be busy without you, so I won’t keep you. Baizhi, see Linglong off.” Luo Fu smiled and stood up, giving Baizhi a signal.

Baizhi quickly stepped forward. “Elder sister Linglong, take care.”

Linglong paused and glanced at Baizhi before smiling at Luo Fu. “The white plantain by your side is really thoughtful. It suddenly reminds me of Biyu by the eldest young lady’s side. She’s also very considerate.”

With that, she didn’t linger and turned to leave the room, leaving Luo Fu standing there lost in thought.

Linglong quickly returned to Yunxia Courtyard. Luo Yi’er was leaning against the window, playing with a zither. She had just returned from Fang Yun Hall, and since Luo Qiheng and Luo Qiyan had both gone to court, she had nothing to do.

Seeing Linglong return, she asked with a gentle smile, “Did you deliver the gifts?”

“Yes, according to your instructions, I delivered everything. The second young lady was overjoyed.” Linglong had just returned and her face was slightly flushed from the sun. Without taking a moment to catch her breath, she answered Luo Yi’er’s question with a smile, emphasizing the word “everything” clearly.

Luo Yi’er’s eyes sparkled with amusement, and she glanced at Linglong. “You can go rest for a while. Come back later to attend to me.”

With that, she continued to look down at the chessboard, propping her chin up with one hand and moving the pieces slowly with the other. A smile lingered on her lips, giving her a somewhat careless appearance.

Linglong looked up at her and saw that she seemed to be in a good mood. Feeling reassured, she bowed slightly and retreated.

On the side of Furong Courtyard, Baizhi returned after seeing Linglong off. Luo Fu was admiring the jewelry Linglong had brought, trying on a bracelet. When she saw Baizhi come in, she glanced at her and raised her wrist, excitedly asking, “How does it look?”

Baizhi leaned in to take a closer look. “It’s beautiful. Your wrist is slender and fair, and the jade bracelet is exquisite. You look stunning in it, miss.”

Luo Fu smiled and tapped Baizhi’s forehead, teasing, “You’re always so good with words.”

Baizhi’s eyes curved into a smile, but after a moment, she bit her lip and lowered her head, saying nothing.

Less than the time it takes for an incense stick to burn after Linglong left, Furong Courtyard became lively again. Luo Fu was in a good mood, so she nodded for Baizhi to go and see who it was. Baizhi quickly ran back in.
“Miss, it’s the fifth young lady. She sent someone to fetch you.”

At the mention of Luo Ying, the smile on Luo Fu’s refined face faltered, and she frowned impatiently, “I know. Go and tell them I’ll be right there.”

Baizhi helped Luo Fu tidy up and was about to put away the things Linglong had brought.

Luo Fu hesitated for a moment and raised her hand to stop Baizhi. “Wait a minute!”
Baizhi looked at her uncertainly, and Luo Fu picked up the jade bracelet she had been trying on, put it on her wrist, and admired it for a while before smiling, “Alright, let’s go.”

Hearing this, Baizhi quickly tidied up and followed Luo Fu towards Luoyun Pavilion.

Luo Fu walked quickly, and in recent days, she had frequently visited Luoyun Pavilion to cause trouble for Luo Qian but had never succeeded. This made her feel uneasy and frustrated. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have gone as soon as Luo Ying sent someone to call her. At the bottom of her heart, she still had the intention of causing trouble for Luo Qian.

At this time, the sun had not set yet, and the two walked under the shade of trees. Luo Fu didn’t forget to raise her arm to block the sun, and the jade bracelet she had just put on seemed to have ripples of water inside when exposed to the sunlight.

Back in Furong Courtyard, not long after Luo Fu left, Linglong received news. She took a sip of tea in the side room before heading into the main house with the message.

Luo Yi’er was feeling drowsy, but when she heard the movement of the curtain, she quietly fluttered her eyelashes and opened her eyes, looking diagonally at Linglong. She knew there was news, and her interest dispelled her sleepiness. She propped herself up on the soft couch, and Linglong quickly went to support her.

The maidservants nearby hurried to hang up the curtains that had been put down, allowing the sunlight to shine in and brighten up the room.

The maidservants attended to her needs smoothly, placing several pillows on the soft couch. Luo Yi’er leaned against them softly, with a hint of a smile at the corner of her mouth. She glanced at Linglong, “What news do you have?”

Linglong had someone fetch a bowl of mung bean tea from the kitchen before turning to reply, “It’s the second young lady. She’s already headed to Luoyun Pavilion.”

She paused for a moment, looking puzzled. “Miss, do you think the second young lady understood what I meant earlier?”
“Whether she understands or not, what’s the importance of that?”
The servant brought up the mung bean tea, and Luo Yi’er took it, slowly looking at Linglong, “You’ve already told her that Biyu is the eldest young lady’s most trusted maidservant now. If she still can’t grasp the opportunity, it’s her own fault for not being able to deal with the eldest young lady.”

Linglong was a bit surprised, as she rarely saw the miss’s sharpness so exposed. It seemed the miss wasn’t very optimistic about the second young lady.

Indeed, after so long, the second young lady hadn’t managed to seize any opportunity, which wasn’t surprising given that she was the least favored master in the mansion, aside from the eldest young lady.

Linglong suddenly thought of the fourth young lady and hesitated, “Miss, recently the second young lady has been spending a lot of time with the fifth young lady, but there’s been no news about the fourth young lady.”

Luo Yi’er also thought of Luo Yu and smiled slightly, her eyes filled with amusement. “My fourth sister won’t get involved in this mess. After all, when the snipe and the clam fight, the fisherman gets the benefit. It’s not wise to stick her neck out at this time.”

“The servant just feels that the fourth young lady is really capable. Whenever there’s a benefit, the second young lady never leaves her out, but now she can make the second young lady completely forget about her.” Linglong raised her head and expressed her opinion about the fourth young lady.

“That’s also the fourth sister’s ability.” Luo Yi’er lowered her eyes, thinking about how Luo Yu always managed to get a share of the benefits without making any noise, making everyone in the mansion think she wasn’t competitive.

Luo Yi’er seemed to have thought of something and chuckled softly, which puzzled Linglong. Then she heard Luo Yi’er change the subject, speaking softly, “Let’s not worry about her. Let’s focus on Luoyun Pavilion.”

Linglong just responded when she saw Luo Yi’er raise her head. “What about the news Qingling sent back last time? How’s the investigation going?”

Mentioning this, Linglong’s brow furrowed tightly. “Miss, I’ve had people watching Xiao Xi for many days, but we haven’t found anything out of the ordinary.”

“Oh?” Luo Yi’er’s interest was piqued, and she asked, “No connection to Luoyun Pavilion either?”

The news Qingling had sent back initially suggested that Xiao Xi seemed to have some connection to Luoyun Pavilion, which was why Luo Yi’er asked.

Linglong shook her head. “No, she hasn’t been to Luoyun Pavilion once in these days.”

“Not even once…” Luo Yi’er lightly tapped the tabletop, her beautiful eyes half-closed as she murmured softly, seemingly lost in thought. Linglong saw this and quietly closed her mouth, not wanting to disturb her.

After a while, Luo Yi’er raised her head, “Then add more people and have them watch the people she’s been in contact with these days. See if there’s anyone suspicious among them.”

Linglong responded solemnly, sensing the importance of this matter to the miss.
She didn’t dare to be careless.